Why read this: This B1 version takes a real news story and turns it into a clear example of how the job market works today. Students meet two real jobseekers, Ventola and Duncan, and one expert, D'Onofrio. They learn why so many people are now paying for tools and services to find work, and they hear a different view from an expert who says spending money may not be needed. The topic is close to students' lives: their older siblings, parents and friends may be looking for jobs right now.
What to notice: Notice how the article uses numbers from three countries (the US, the UK and Canada) to show that the job market is slow. Notice the new business and HR words, such as candidate market, employer-driven market, premium subscribers and hiring managers. These words have short glosses next to them. Also notice the ending: Ventola admits her spending did not get her a job, but she says it opened her eyes to new options. The writer does not tell us what to think; we have to decide.
Skills practised: Reading for main idea and supporting details across short paragraphs. Tracking three named people (Ventola, Duncan, D'Onofrio) and what each one says. Reading numbers and percentages in context. Learning useful business and job-market vocabulary through margin glosses. Comparing two views (paying for tools vs. using free options) and giving reasons. The open questions practise explaining causes and comparing different opinions in writing.
Why Looking for a Job Is Costing People More Money
With jobs hard to find in the US, the UK and Canada, more people are paying for premium tools and career coaches to help them find work.
Tap any green word in the article to see its meaning.
Giovanna Ventola is 35 and lives in North Carolina. She thinks she has spent about $6,000 looking for a new job. “I was doing more than just sending in applications,” she says. “There were lots of services that I paid for.”
Ventola is one of many jobseekers who are paying for tools to help them find work. Jobs are in the US, the UK, and Canada. To , applicants are buying , paying for , and using resume-writing software.
The job market really is slow. In the US, an unemployed person now needs about six months to find work, up from five months last year. Canada lost 66,000 jobs in August. In the UK, job openings have fallen for 39 quarters in a row.
This has had a on job-search websites like LinkedIn. The number of has grown by nearly 50% in two years. Almost 40% of those subscribers now use to make their profiles look better.
Kaycia Duncan, 30, lives in the UK. She has been looking for work in marketing for over a year, and she finds it disheartening. Like Ventola, she is spending money on tools she hopes will improve her : about £30 a month. She paid to talk directly to through a service. While she waits, she has taken on and submitted more than 200 applications.
Ventola also started sharing her own story on TikTok. Her videos got hundreds of comments from other people in the same situation. That gave her the idea to start a free community called Rhize. Over 4,000 jobseekers around the world now use it to share tips on what works.
Why is it so hard to right now? Nancy D’Onofrio, a director at the recruitment company Randstad, says employers now hold the power. “We have moved from a in the past three years to more of an ,” she explains. There are fewer open jobs and more people looking, so the search is much harder. She also notes that fast changes in technology and AI are causing layoffs in some fields. At the same time, more people are trying to retrain for jobs that will be in the future.
So what works? D’Onofrio thinks candidates do not need to spend money. Her advice is simple: contact directly, attend , and use free online tools. As Ventola admits, all the money she spent did not get her a job. But, she says, it did open her eyes to new options she had not thought of before.
Giovanna Ventola is 35 and lives in North Carolina. She thinks she has spent about $6,000 looking for a new job. “I was doing more than just sending in applications,” she says. “There were lots of services that I paid for.”
Ventola is one of many jobseekers who are paying for tools to help them find work. Jobs are in the US, the UK, and Canada. To , applicants are buying , paying for , and using resume-writing software.
The job market really is slow. In the US, an unemployed person now needs about six months to find work, up from five months last year. Canada lost 66,000 jobs in August. In the UK, job openings have fallen for 39 quarters in a row.
This has had a on job-search websites like LinkedIn. The number of has grown by nearly 50% in two years. Almost 40% of those subscribers now use to make their profiles look better.
Kaycia Duncan, 30, lives in the UK. She has been looking for work in marketing for over a year, and she finds it disheartening. Like Ventola, she is spending money on tools she hopes will improve her : about £30 a month. She paid to talk directly to through a service. While she waits, she has taken on and submitted more than 200 applications.
Ventola also started sharing her own story on TikTok. Her videos got hundreds of comments from other people in the same situation. That gave her the idea to start a free community called Rhize. Over 4,000 jobseekers around the world now use it to share tips on what works.
Why is it so hard to right now? Nancy D’Onofrio, a director at the recruitment company Randstad, says employers now hold the power. “We have moved from a in the past three years to more of an ,” she explains. There are fewer open jobs and more people looking, so the search is much harder. She also notes that fast changes in technology and AI are causing layoffs in some fields. At the same time, more people are trying to retrain for jobs that will be in the future.
So what works? D’Onofrio thinks candidates do not need to spend money. Her advice is simple: contact directly, attend , and use free online tools. As Ventola admits, all the money she spent did not get her a job. But, she says, it did open her eyes to new options she had not thought of before.
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
About how much money does Giovanna Ventola think she has spent on her job search?
- 02
What does the article say about the job market in the US, the UK, and Canada?
- 03
Why does the article mention D'Onofrio's advice that candidates do not need to spend money?
- 04
Explain why so many jobseekers in the US, the UK and Canada are now paying for premium tools and services. Use at least two examples from the article.
Suggested length: ~70 words
- 05
Compare what Ventola and D'Onofrio believe about spending money on a job search. What does each one say, and what does the article seem to suggest at the end?
Suggested length: ~70 words
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
About how much money does Giovanna Ventola think she has spent on her job search?
- 02
What does the article say about the job market in the US, the UK, and Canada?
- 03
Why does the article mention D'Onofrio's advice that candidates do not need to spend money?
- 04
Explain why so many jobseekers in the US, the UK and Canada are now paying for premium tools and services. Use at least two examples from the article.
Suggested length: ~70 words
- 05
Compare what Ventola and D'Onofrio believe about spending money on a job search. What does each one say, and what does the article seem to suggest at the end?
Suggested length: ~70 words